Last week’s workouts, I went old school on that military testing program. I did tons of pushups, chinups, and situps. It really worked a lot of my muscles to their limits, and I really enjoyed it.

This morning, I did my typical weight lifting routine instead, but threw in the chinups instead of reverting to lat pulldowns. To be honest, I’m still feeling a bit sore from last week’s shenanigans. I still posted gains in my lifting, and I definitely gave it good effort. But it’s funny. I felt less challenged than I did last week.

I’m a Batman kinda guy. You know that already, right? I like Batman because he basically had to do everything from scratch to get where he went. Okay, he was the heir to billions of bucks, but money alone won’t bring your body to peak shape. And he is devious. I like that Batman will throw sand in your face, kick you in the nuts, and only when he’s stepping on your throat, finally say, “Sorry, Grandpa, but nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger.” He plays better alone. Yeah, he sometimes hangs out with kids, but that’s just a weird quirk.

My daughter just asked Kat to play a specific song again on the computer. We’re rocking out the holiday tunes already, but we have lots of alternate versions of holiday favorites. So, ahem, my daughter just asked:

If you’ve been breezing through your current workout, may I make a suggestion? Shake it up. Try something completely different. One reason is that your body gets used to the same old thing.

Bodies are smart. They figure out what you’re throwing at them, how often, and then they try to plan accordingly. They’re efficient that way. Bodies want to have all the scoop and figure out how many calories you need, how much muscle is required to do what you’re trying to do, and give you just enough to accomplish those goals. So, changing it up gives your body a new message: work harder.

The races are self-evident. I believe that staying in races keeps me focused on my goals. Once the race directors of the world start looking forward to 2005, I’ll have a better idea of what races I want to do. Jay Challenge 1/2 marathon is high on my list (they require you to do the 1/2 if you’ve not done any of their challenger races). Nipmuck might be another marathon. 7 Sisters in Western Mass. One with Marshall. Probably an adventure race or two.

In my continuing efforts to build myself into a functional superhero, I’ve found a weightlifting routine from the military’s pararescue groups that promotes functional strength and agility over bigger muscles. I’ve had a few email conversations with a guy who runs a website based on this stuff, and have read several interesting documents on the topic. I love this kind of learning, because I feel like it’s forward motion in my quest to be a much more fit overall kind of guy.

One area where I need to improve myself is stretching. I’ve pretty much abandoned my flexibility for other goals, especially after a recent rash of studies that say stretching isn’t exactly great for you. (Yes, there are several counter studies as well). I’ve decided that I’m either going to find a yoga class for cheap, or maybe martial arts (something like Tai Chi, which is flexibility based). I’m leaning towards yoga, because it’s less expensive, but I’m open to either. But man, yoga. I’ve read REAL MEN DO YOGA, but I’m still not convinced. Ah, my own bag.

I’m back from our little jaunt. Kat and the kid and I traveled with my parents to stay in Stamford, Connecticut for a day, and then onward to New York City, for a quick jaunt down to rendezvous with my inlaws, who were down from Canada to see some Broadway shows. We ate Thanksgiving dinner in our hotel rooms, courtesy of the only restaurant open in all of Stamford (for the record: The Court House Cafe). I split a greek chicken affair with Kat and the kid. My folks had grilled chicken caesar salads. The restaurant was run by Bulgarians, and I watched a snippit of some action film starring The Rock and some weasel boy. Yes.

Friday in New York City was interesting. We went to the Hotel Pennsylvania in downtown Manhattan, met up with the inlaws, and exchanged a few holiday gifts. My daughter had a great time, and acted like she hung out all the time with her grandfather, who she rarely gets to see.